Sala Bikini, Barcelona

Concierge.com's insider take:

While one usually imagines left-wing intellectuals of old hanging out in cafés, the legendary nightclub Sala Bikini was where the Franco-opposing gauche divine came to party in the 1970s. Rather bizarrely, it also had an on-site mini golf course, which is, sadly, long gone. Although completely rebuilt in the early 1990s in a post-industrial style, the club's party reputation remains intact. International acts such as Pink Martini and Ben Lee play in the smaller hall, but post-concert, the walls slide back and the larger space morphs into Bikini, a popular club playing both live and deejayed Latin-tinged beats. The crowd depends on the night and can be anything from hip-hop to rock fans, while Bikini tends to attract Barcelona's young expats.